Fake Nuance

On a daily basis, I express a outrageous opinion about technology. “Apple should abandon Swift altogether and use Rust instead of just dancing around this move,” I once declared. To the best of my knowledge, that is a fair opinion. If I am a fool for thinking this way, then I am a fool. If, instead, I state that all languages have a good reason for being there and express that Swift is something amazing just to avoid sounding foolish, I will be a silent fool, but a fool nonetheless.

At least when my foolishness is expressed, some good Samaritan or an offended opposer might add nuance to my opinions and make me a wiser person than I currently am. In five years, I will be wiser, while the person who chooses to sound wise when they are not will still be a fool.

Taking the fool-forever-road is so ingrained in our polite and technical manner that we don’t think about it much. A rather obvious example of this is when we respond with “It depends” to any technical question. My friend, if you don’t know how to answer the question of “what it depends on” clearly, you are not being nuanced; you are just a fool like the inquirer of the question, hoping that your intuition comes to your rescue when you are held at gunpoint for a decision.

Be a fool once in a while; it is much better than being one all the time.